Spring is a time for children to go outside and play. A popular place to go is your local neighborhood park. Your local neighborhood park provides an opportunity for children to play on equipment and interact with other children. It is difficult, however, to find playgrounds that are accessible to all children. For children with physical disabilities and access their community through wheelchairs, walkers, etc., not all public parks are accessible to them. Many communities are trying to make an effort so that all children can enjoy public parks and their playgrounds.
What Makes a Playground Accessible?
You may be wondering what makes a public playground accessible for all children. An accessible park is a park that has sidewalks, paths, and playground equipment that are designed so that all children can have easy access to the playground equipment. Listed below are more detailed characteristics on how public playgrounds can be accessible for all children:
- Sidewalk should be a minimum of 60 inches (to the playground equipment)
- Wheelchair ramps to playground equipment from sidewalk path that will connect to playground
- Wheelchair ramps should also have rails and raised edges
- Hand rail or grab bar to access different sections of playground equipment
- Pathways are barrier-free and made of rubber mats, wood fiber or poured rubber
- Swings should have high back support, arm rests and/or safety harnesses
- Slides should have an accessible way of getting back to the entry of the slide
These are just some characteristics and designs that make public playgrounds accessible to all children. We want all children to enjoy this childhood pleasure of playing at a public playground so that they can interact with their friends and be a kid. If you are interested in identifying more ways on how playgrounds can be accessible or are assisting in designing an accessible playground in your community, please search the following website for more ideas, www.playgrounddirectory.com/accessible.htm .
